In particular, but by no means exclusively, generic lighting systems are used for professionally lighting stages and concert halls. Here, the lighting system is controlled by at least one lighting control console, in which the control data for actuating the multiple lighting devices, which can be spotlights, LED panels or other types of stage lighting devices, are generated, managed, stored and output to the lighting devices. To this effect, the lighting control console is based on digital data technology and thus comprises a digital processor and at least one digital memory. The control programs for controlling the lighting system can be highly complex data processing programs with which several thousand lighting devices have to be actuated at the same time.
In addition, the generic lighting system comprises at least two redundant data networks on which the digital control data of the lighting control console can be transmitted independently of each other. Here, installing at least two redundant data networks serves to improve the reliability, availability and security of the lighting system. That is because, in case of an outage of one data network, its task can be taken over by the second data network. This redundancy is in particular of vital importance with large live stage shows since an outage of the data network would otherwise make it impossible to carry out the event at all.
The lighting devices used in stage technology, such as spotlights and LED panels, are actuated by means of DMX control data throughout the industry sector. DMX is a control protocol which is implemented in stage technology and event engineering for controlling dimmers, spotlights, moving heads, effect devices and other types of lighting devices. Here, the abbreviation DMX stands for Digital Multiplex. DMX is based on the control protocol RS-485 and uses a symmetric transmission process. By means of the symmetric transmission, DMX provides a high resistance to failures since external failures affect both data lines in a uniform way and are not interpreted as a level in itself, but only as a level difference on the receiver. Due to the actuation of the lighting devices which are common in stage technology by means of the DMX control data protocol, with the generic lighting systems, a conversion module is required in which the digital control data generated by the lighting control console and transmitted in the data network are converted into DMX control data. Subsequently, one or more lighting devices are in turn connected to said conversion modules, such that the converted digital control commands can be transmitted to the individual lighting devices after having been converted into the DMX control data protocol.
When using the generic lighting systems, one problem is the reliability, the availability and the security of the conversion modules used in the lighting system. Since the conversion modules ultimately are the terminal station for the redundantly designed data networks, an outage of a conversion module cannot be compensated by the redundancy devices of the known lighting systems. With the known lighting systems, an outage of a conversion module rather means that all lighting devices connected to the conversion module cannot be actuated anymore and thus fail.